It's been pretty touch-and-go for the past few years, but it really feels like the classic studio comedy is making a comeback. "One of Them Days" was one of the first hits of the year, and this month alone has seen the successful releases of "The Naked Gun" and "Freakier Friday." August goes out with a bang with "The Roses," a dark comedy that feels plucked from the 2000s. That is intended as a compliment.
The Jay Roach directed movie, a remake of the 1989 "The War of the Roses" and an adaptation of the 1981 novel by Warren Adler, takes the simple premise of a marriage falling horribly apart and updates it. And yet, the way the movie unfolds with the over-the-top visual gags, a stacked supporting cast, and profane humor is reminiscent of a bygone era.
We first meet Olivia Coleman's Ivy and Benedict Cumberbatch's Theo Rose in couple's therapy, vainly struggling to say a single kind word about each other. Their marriage is in a bad place, but this isn't even the worst of it. "The Roses" then returns to the day they met, a shockingly crass interaction that gets heated very fast before revealing their domestic bliss 10 years later.
When the story really gets started, Ivy is a chef attempting to get her seafood restaurant off the ground, while Theo is an architect plotting an ambitious to the point of concern project. The latter is positioned as the more successful of the two, the true breadwinner. But their fortunes are reversed when a devastating storm rolls into town. Almost overnight, Ivy is a runaway hit while Theo's career is in shambles. This is ultimately the turning point for their relationship as Ivy's career takes off while Theo stays home to care for the kids and simmer in his resentment.
"The Roses" emphasizes the gradual decline between them. We still see their love, but they also soon become far too good at hurling casual, bruising insults. Coleman and Cumberbatch play off each other incredibly well, aided by Tony McNamara's rat-a-tat dialogue and their genuine chemistry. From the first moment Ivy and Theo meet, it's clear they're a perfect match for each other with their banter immediately setting their connection alight. But that only serves to make the entire downfall of their marriage more heartbreaking.
Roach has a tricky tonal balance to navigate here. Though it's a comedy, "The Roses" can also get remarkably dark. The titular couple frequently joke about killing themselves and their dislike for each other eventually turns corrosive. It really shouldn't work, and yet it largely does.
Cumberbatch and Coleman are the undisputed stars of the show, and it's a delight to see them dig into this kind of broad comedy. In supporting roles, Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon reliably supply some chuckles, while Shudy Gotwa and Sunita Mani are fun additions. Still, it's Allison Janney who with one single scene totally steals the show.
Though funny, "The Roses" doesn't totally nail all of its punchlines. And I'm certain the darker side of the couple's dissolving marriage won't be for everyone. With such incredible performers as Coleman and Cumberbatch at the center of it all, though, it's easy to have a blast. You'll want them to break up just as much as you want them to make up. And that is the most impressive thing of all.